Upper School: Middle Years Programme - International Community School of Abidjan

Welcome!

At ICSA, through our inquiry based instruction we aim to foster collaborative, balanced, and reflective lifelong learners who engage meaningfully in their communities.

The Middle Years Programme’s (MYP) is developmentally appropriate for learners in grades 6 - 10, as learning is student-centered rather than teacher-centered and students are active learners engaged in constructing their own inquiries.

Learning in the Middle Years Programme

MYP students use concepts as a framework to inquire into issues and ideas of individual, local and global significance and transfer skills across disciplines.

Curriculum-Learning at ICSA

How to learn at ICSA

Approaches to Learning

Skills & dispositions

The MYP Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills help students become independent, reflective learners. They fall into five main categories:

Communication — expressing ideas clearly and listening actively.
Social — teamwork, empathy, and leadership.
Self-Management — organization and emotional regulation.
Research — evaluating and synthesizing information.
Thinking — analysis, evaluation, and creativity.

Communication Skills

Projects with local impact

Social Skills

PResilience, relationships & wellbeing

Self-Management Skills

Projects with local impact

Self-Management Skills are essential for organizing time and tasks. They include skills in managing emotions, setting goals, staying motivated, and maintaining focus. Organization, resilience, and mindfulness are key areas that support success both in school and life. Goal setting and portfolio development drive the MYP student led conferences and develop students self management skills.

Research Skills

Projects with local impact

Research Skills empower students to find, interpret, and evaluate information. They learn how to formulate questions, use a variety of sources, analyze evidence, and synthesize ideas—developing academic integrity and digital citizenship through application. Students also design their own inquiry and self directed projects. Research is supported through a variety of assessments.

Thinking Skills

Projects with local impact

How we support student agency

Social-Emotional Learning: Advisory

Building empathy, reflection, & community well-being

The purpose of our Advisory program is to cultivate a sense of belonging and promote personal growth through relationships. Students are at the center of our program, and are encouraged to explore their identities, take calculated risks, and grow both individually and as a group while examining our core values of compassion, courage, and curiosity. We explore a range of topics, developing skills in areas such as relationships, personal decision-making, and self-awareness.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we cultivate a sense of belonging and promote personal growth through relationships. Tuesday Panther Connection sessions explore CASEL-aligned SEL topics such as self-awareness, relationships and decision making through small group discussions and activities. Thursday Panther Pride sessions continue to build relationships through such activities as community meetings, assemblies, and house events. Advisors are at the core of the program, facilitating a safe space for students to grow their character, develop interpersonal skills, and challenge themselves and one another.

Community Engagement

Engagement & impact

At ICSA, Community Engagement is an essential part of our experiential learning approach, designed to foster meaningful connections for our students with our immediate and broader community, and to provide our students with opportunities to apply their learning in real world contexts. Through community engagement, students engage in a range of meaningful experiences including curricular integration of service learning, field trips, and exchanges with guest experts. Students also participate in rich co-curricular activities grounded in collaborative projects with community partners and pursue personal passions through student-led initiatives. Through community engagement, students are empowered to lead with empathy, take principled action, strengthen their intercultural understanding, and grow as compassionate, courageous changemakers.

Technology

Innovation, digital fluency, & creative problem-solving

Students at ICSA have the option of receiving a school-issued Chromebook or to bring their own device. Mostly students choose to use the Chromebook, though often students that get to Grade 11, they might transition to their own device, especially if they are taking courses like Computer Science, where a more powerful machine is preferred.

The International Community School of Abidjan (ICSA) is a Candidate School* for the Middle Years Programme (MYP). This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School.

These are schools that share a common philosophy — a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education that the International Community School of Abidjan believes is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes. Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

For more information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org .

Schedule a tour

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section

Welcome!

Learning in the Middle Years Programme

Curriculum-Learning at ICSA

How to learn at ICSA

How we support student agency

Logo Image

Logo Title

Links & Resources